Prospect Info: New Jersey Devils Draft Simon Nemec, 2nd Overall

[glenwo2]

In this scenario Philly would have been in front of us at #4 with Wright available. Who knows if they would take him or stick with Cutter.

Then we probably would've picked Cutter or Wright....or (since Fitz was hell-bent on "D" apparently, we'd pick Jiricek)

 

[Guttersniped]

Yes, sorry, our imbecile gm and Arizona did. Great.



Yes

So you’re digging your heels in on Wright was the right choice? I probably would have taken Cooley over Wright.

You keep fixating on the rankings like the numbers matter. An Oiler fan could have this same freak out over their team taking Draisaitl at #3 WHEN OMG SAM BENNETT WAS STILL RIGHT THERE ON THE BOARD.

These scouts don’t read the prophecies from tea leaves and animal entrails, they’re making educated guesses.

And the educated guess about this draft is it’s 2017-like made way more blurry by the stunting effects of COVID.

Is Nemec the 2nd best player in the draft? Probably not? Is there a chance that Bob’s list, or and any other consensus list, is going to basically have the top players in order? No f***ing way (IMHO).

I say I would probably take Cooley because I’ve never been quite decided on this group. I’m always like that to a certain every year (I love nuance a little too much) but this year is particularly a clusterf*** of unknowingness. I’m amazed by anyone who feels like they for sure have this figured this draft class out.

And Wright should be a safe pick, smart w/ a nifty wrister, but I don’t think he’ll end up the best forward. Not sure Cooley will either.

Nemec seems like a very reasonable bet to me. He had to pick someone, as others have said, you can knock him for not getting a late 1st trade done in earlier drafts but this was way more unwieldy.

He drafted two very mobile, talented skaters with the first two picks. I wouldn’t have predicted these two picks in a million years but I’m willing to see how they work out.

I’m not a huge Fitz fan either.

 

[JK3]

Still loving this pick, our D is going to be nuts in the near future.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I would have picked wright, but nemec is my 3rd choice and only slightly back

I’m actually very glad we didn’t take Cooley, personally.

Everybody is entitled to feel their feelings, but my feeling is that anybody more than mildly disappointed with this needs to touch grass.

 

[Devilsgrl35]

Nemec and Luke are both great skaters and great with the puck. Our defense is going to be ridiculous with its mobility and transition game. Hughes also won't be forced to the right side now and can flourish where he is more comfortable. Back to back years we drafted two potential franchise defenseman. That changes franchises. I truly don't understand why people are upset. It's an added bonus that Nemec is almost NHL ready.

 

[Xirik]

He does not have makars shot, vision, or transitional skating and def can’t play defense like he does. In fact his defense is almost non existent especially against the rush.

Makar was definitely all those things before he was even drafted. /s

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

That should end the trade down crap. We wanted our guy, we picked our guy.

 

[devilsblood]

Something cooled a lot of scouts off Wright. 3 teams passed on him and there are reports he wasn't top of Seattle's board either.

His 21-22 season, while really good, was not a clear cut #1OA type of year. Didn't lead his team in goals (was 5th in goals) nor assists. Then he had a meh playoffs with 3 goals in 11 games.

And not sure how reputable the opinions we read on here are but people were calling him passive. And that was from guys defending him.

Personally I see something weird in his eyes, but that's probably a bridge too far.

Guys all worked up about not drafting Wright are still living in 2020.

 

[Eggtimer]

Nemec and Luke are both great skaters and great with the puck. Our defense is going to be ridiculous with its mobility and transition game. Hughes also won't be forced to the right side now and can flourish on where he is more comfortable. Back to back years we drafted two potential franchise defenseman. That changes franchises. I truly don't understand why people are upset. It's an added bonus that Nemec is almost NHL ready.

The only reason I was upset is that I had spent way too much time thinking about how good Slafkovsky would fit in with our forwards.
When we were projected to pick in the #5/6 range , I was never really focused on Slaf , but rather hoping one of Nemec or Jiricek would fall to us.
When we won pick #2 , I was all about Slaf and forgot about the D . I was thinking we would surely get Slaf or off chance Wright.
Now it’s all said and done , I am disappointed we missed out on Slaf but us taking Nemec (or even if we went Jiricek ) is a very smart move for our team.
When looking at other teams that make it far in the playoffs , their defence usually has two or more studs that can eat ton of minutes.
With Hamilton , Hughes , Nemec , Severson (maybe ?) , Seigenthaler … that’s a very very solid looking D core with Mukhamadoulin, Okhotiuk , Bahl , amd now Casey and our other later round picks…..we could very well have one of the best D pools in the league.
If they all hit on their potemtial, I woild be hard pressed to think of another team thats better 1-6. Avs of course , but 1-6 and beyond , we might have them beat in a couple years. ( It is hard to beat Makar Toews Byram top 3 for now…)

 

[devilsblood]

That should end the trade down crap. We wanted our guy, we picked our guy.

(only time Fitz ran out on trying to trade out of 2 was hanging up the phone quicker )

Am I the only one not comprehending what is being said here?

 

[NJDevs26]

(only time Fitz ran out on trying to trade out of 2 was hanging up the phone quicker )

Am I the only one not comprehending what is being said here?

Someone trying to leak damage control after a knife came out with the LeBrun quote

 

[MartyOwns]

(only time Fitz ran out on trying to trade out of 2 was hanging up the phone quicker )

Am I the only one not comprehending what is being said here?

 

[Eggtimer]

Holy shit is Scouching not very high on Nemec . I did only watch the first 1/2 of his video so maybe he heaps on praise after , but the first half made it sound like he was the next Peter Harrold at best

 

[Japam]

When do the Nemec shirseys go on sale?

 

[Devilsgrl35]

Someone trying to leak damage control after a knife came out with the LeBrun quote

This was said (I think it was Weekes) during the draft coverage on ESPN last night.

 

[devilsblood]

The only reason I was upset is that I had spent way too much time thinking about how good Slafkovsky would fit in with our forwards.
When we were projected to pick in the #5/6 range , I was never really focused on Slaf , but rather hoping one of Nemec or Jiricek would fall to us.
When we won pick #2 , I was all about Slaf and forgot about the D . I was thinking we would surely get Slaf or off chance Wright.
Now it’s all said and done , I am disappointed we missed out on Slaf but us taking Nemec (or even if we went Jiricek ) is a very smart move for our team.
When looking at other teams that make it far in the playoffs , their defence usually has two or more studs that can eat ton of minutes.
With Hamilton , Hughes , Nemec , Severson (maybe ?) , Seigenthaler … that’s a very very solid looking D core with Mukhamadoulin, Okhotiuk , Bahl , amd now Casey and our other later round picks…..we could very well have one of the best D pools in the league.
If they all hit on their potemtial, I woild be hard pressed to think of another team thats better 1-6. Avs of course , but 1-6 and beyond , we might have them beat in a couple years. ( It is hard to beat Makar Toews Byram top 3 for now…)

I had gone from wanting one of the RHD's to preferring Slaf, to looking for a trade down so we can get the RHD.

Now I'm not upset we didn't trade down, as Cangy is saying above, "we picked our guy". Who knows if A) a trade was possible or B) one of the guys we wanted would still be there? So don't mess around, you like a guy there, just take him.

I'm also of the opinion that our organizational dearth of RHD didn't happen by accident. It happened because we spent very little draft capital on the position over the last however many years. So here we were, a team with a ton of organizational depth across all positions except RHD ( and goalie of course but we obviously weren't drafting one there) and here is a high end RHD available at that spot. Then we continued to go heavy RHD the rest of the draft. And guess what? RHD is no longer a organizational weak spot.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Holy shit is Scouching not very high on Nemec . I did only watch the first 1/2 of his video so maybe he heaps on praise after , but the first half made it sound like he was the next Peter Harrold at best

He’s so low that he had him as a top 3 pick and the first dmen taken in the draft.

 

[My3Sons]

He does not have makars shot, vision, or transitional skating and def can’t play defense like he does. In fact his defense is almost non existent especially against the rush.

To be fair it sounds like Makar didn’t possess a number of his transcendent qualities when he was drafted. As a 19 year old he only scored 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games coming off his number four overall selection. He’s just been a remarkable story of growth. I doubt Nemec ever comes close to that but if the NHL scouts saw the okayer he is now he wouldn’t have gotten past NJ and certainly wouldn’t have fallen to where he did.

 

[devilsblood]

Someone trying to leak damage control after a knife came out with the LeBrun quote

What was the Lebrun quote?

 

[Blender]

This board is, predictably, reading that LeBrun quote horribly and in the most negative way possible.

He does not have makars shot, vision, or transitional skating and def can’t play defense like he does. In fact his defense is almost non existent especially against the rush.

Typical NHL fan hindsight. Makar had big question marks in his draft year like most young defensemen do. If everyone knew how he'd work out, he would have went #1. He didn't, because he was considered a riskier pick than those that went ahead of him.

 

[Triumph]

People don't even realize that that Lebrun quote isn't a knife, it's an attempted shield. But some people see knives everywhere.

 

[devilsblood]

To be fair it sounds like Makar didn’t possess a number of his transcendent qualities when he was drafted. As a 19 year old he only scored 5 goals and 21 points in 34 games coming off his number four overall selection. He’s just been a remarkable story of growth. I doubt Nemec ever comes close to that but if the NHL scouts saw the okayer he is now he wouldn’t have gotten past NJ and certainly wouldn’t have fallen to where he did.

Ya, obviously, if people knew he was this good it would have been Makar #1 by a mile.

 

[NJDevs26]

I think he could've been there at #5 if the Devils didn't win the Lottery, tbh.

And that is why I was so shocked and annoyed that he was picked at #2 because while he's not exactly a "reach" at that point, it's a big jump up from where he was supposed to be drafted.

Meanwhile, the bigger shocker to me is Cooley being picked before Wright. THAT is nuts to me.


EDIT : And before you say that Nemec wasn't getting past Seattle, I would say "fine. But Wright was so he'd shockingly be there at #5 ten" lol

I don’t see a board where both Wright and Nemec get past 4. In the world we don’t win the lottery Arizona picks Cooley, Seattle picks Nemec and the Flyers you would think take Wright unless they were so invested in going type with their pick and still picking Gauthier even over Wright

 

[Blender]

People don't even realize that that Lebrun quote isn't a knife, it's an attempted shield. But some people see knives everywhere.

I read it to mean Fitz explored trading down to get an extra asset and still take our guy, but the deal wasn't there so we just took our guy.

Somehow this board reads it like Fitz was in a panic to make a trade and just took someone he didn't want at #2.

 

[NJDevs26]

What was the Lebrun quote?

It reads to me like they were surprised Slaf got taken and hadn’t considered any kind of contingency for trading down before that point